I am in a rush right now but I'll try to touch base on a few things quickly.
- Are you sure you are zone 8a? I couldn't find any part of BC that was quite that high.
- Yes, the right amount of sun in important. Aim for about 6 hours if you want water lilies and less if you don't (but who doesn't want lilies? lol) I wish I could have gotten less sun on my pond, the stream in particular cause it heats up fast and grows crazy algae. But I worked with what I had and am waiting on some new trees to grow in.
- The high water table is something I've never had to deal with so not much help there.
- Equipment is very easy to hide. Depending what setup and equipment you go with we can figure that out. What is your budget like? In general, tight or not an issue?
- If you are anywhere near zone 8a 3ft deep would be ample for goldfish, koi I would go deeper. If you can't go deep you can always go up.
- Rocks in the bottom is probably the most debated topic I researched. I decided bare bottom was best for me. I am not going to drain the pond every year or 2 or 3 even to power wash the bottom rocks, washing away the good with the bad and sending my pond into a mini cycle or having to buy bottled bacteria to contend with that. I've seen enough black sludge pictures and videos to convince me that it is a real issue and I wasn't interested. Although I do also love the look of rocks in the pond.
I'll get to the other questions later. In the meantime you can check out my pond if you like, for inspiration and to assure you that I DO have a pond of my own that I built myself. Just a picture thread unfortunately.
https://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/threads/my-pond-load-warning.283658/
OH MY!! GORGEOUS Pond!! WOW, I'm very impressed!
First off, no rush to respond as I have lots of time to figure it out. I do REALLY appreciate all your imput as last year this time I gave up as I just wasn't able to find anyone to help me and I didn't want to run into huge problems and wish I had done something different. As for budget, I do like to do things right so will spend some money... it really depends. Doing most of it myself, I can save there and spend more on equipment and rocks and stuff. I know they can be costly. Not sure if I could build something for around $5,000? Or have to spend more.
Yes, the research I have done and owning a full planted 90 gallon aquarium, I have to agree I am steaming towards the liner bottom as well. Easier to deal with I think in the long run.
Where about do you live? Do you have problems with raccoons and heron? We have lots of great blue heron as well as raccoons so I will have to make sleeper sides as I understand raccoons won't go in if they can't feel a ledge to get back out. With regards to the great blue heron, I will have to create depth as well as hiding areas to protect the fish. I'm not super crazy about the look of a netting but it is an option if they become a huge problem.
My biggest concerns about building this are...
..... the cedar trees (mess and roots as I don't want the roots tearing the pond liner) how do pond liners do with tree roots?
..... the water table, water run off from the yard,
..... hiding the equipment,
..... the raccoons and heron (we actually get black bear too but I don't think they will bother it - they don't come around often).
All are important issues to consider before building. The water table and tree roots are really my biggest concerns. Some people say the water in the pond will keep the liner down, others say the water outside will bubble it inside the pond.
As for the plant zone... here we are in the orange area..
http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-british-columbia-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php
Thanks again for all your help! enjoy your day and respond when you have time... no rush.